Uriah Heep: My favourite Charles Dickens character - Telegraph Charles Dickens Uriah Heep: My favourite Charles Dickens character Uriah Heep - from David Copperfield, is one of Charles Dickens's most malevolent creations and is the eighth in the Telegraph pick of the best Charles Dickens characters. Image 1 of 3 A portrait of Uriah Heep by Frederick Barnard (1846-1896), which was used to illustrate David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Photo: Alamy Penguin released David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, in a new 'Pocket Classic' edition. By Mark Monahan , Dance Critic 7:00AM GMT 08 Feb 2012 Follow My Favourite Charles Dickens character: Uriah Heep from David Copperfield (1849) Sounding like some particularly pernicious kind of bladder infection, Uriah Heep is one of the best names – and villains – in the whole of Dickens. This obsequious, cadaverous clerk and money-lender, who fawns his way through David Copperfield and blackmails his way to success, has as little pigment in his body as he does decency.

“[He] had hardly any eyebrows,” says the 15-year-old David, “and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep.” Besides, then, being an early example of the evil-albino figure so beloved by Hollywood, Uriah Heep is also said to have been inspired by either Hans Christian Anderson or one Thomas Powell, for whom a friend of Dickens’s worked. Either way, it’s a magnificently unenviable tribute. The full series of 'My favourite Charles Dickens character' is: Related Articles Uriah Heep in David Copperfield NEXT Character Analysis Uriah Heep is not a person; he's an evil machine. He's like a really slow-acting version of the Terminator, bent on the destruction of anyone and everyone who has it better than him. And he will never stop – at least, not until he runs up against the unlikely resistance of all-too-human Mr. Micawber. David first meets Uriah Heep when Uriah is 15 years old and working as a clerk in Mr. Wickfield's law office (this is while David is boarding at Mr.

Wickfield's home and going to school in Canterbury). We know from the outset that this is going to be a bad guy because he looks so completely repulsive: he's got a pale face, red eyes (like Voldemort!), and "a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention" (15.21). These cold, long, white hands of Uriah Heep stand in for the inhumanity of the rest of him: he is like a dead thing, totally immune to any kind of human warmth or sympathy. David is only 11 at this point, but even he is smart enough to see that Uriah Heep isn't trustworthy. But in spite of the clear foreshadowing, Mr. Wickfield's judgment is too weakened by his own problems to realize that he shouldn't be employing this creepy kid. Uriah Heep lives with his mother, who is completely devoted to him. She's a lot like Uriah, actually, and they're both totally obsessed with maintaining the appearance of humility. Uriah assures David: "I am well aware that I am the umblest person going [...] My mother is likewise a very umble person." (16.90).

Everything, for Uriah Heep, is "umble" (a.k.a. humble). But weirdly, if you take pride in being the lowliest, most kowtowing, crawling fellow out there, isn't that a kind of arrogance? Uriah Heep is constantly congratulating himself for being the best at something – even if that something is groveling in front of his social betters. Oddly, "umbleness" is Uriah Heep's chosen road to power. Uriah Heep's ambition is all twisted in on itself. He can only express his desire to climb the social ladder by emphasizing how low he is on it. Uriah Heep's scheme is this: he is a law clerk for Mr. Wickfield. But he knows that Mr. Wickfield is depressed over his wife's death and has a severe drinking problem. So, Uriah Heep encourages the drinking. Slowly, he takes over more and more of Mr. Wickfield's daily affairs, until Mr. Wickfield relies on Uriah Heep completely (even though Mr. Wickfield never really likes or trusts him – he feels that he has no choice).

To make the trap even harder to get out of, Uriah Heep starts showing Mr. Wickfield receipts for crazy investments and loans with Mr. Wickfield's name attached to them. Mr. Wickfield can't remember signing them, but he also can't explain the evidence of his own financial wrongdoing that Uriah Heep has shoved in his face. So, Uriah Heep blackmails Mr. Wickfield into signing Uriah Heep as a partner of his law office. (By the way, all of this comes out at the end of the novel, in a confrontation with Mr. Micawber. Until everything is revealed, all we know is that Mr. Wickfield is slowly fading away, while Uriah Heep sinks his claws more and more deeply into the business.) Uriah Heep has two goals in mind: (1) he wants to take over Mr. Wickfield's life; and (2) he wants to guilt Agnes Wickfield into marrying him. This part of the plan – the marriage with Agnes – Uriah Heep tells David point-blank when the Wickfields come to visit London while David is working at his proctor's office.

David is absolutely outraged that a fiend like Uriah Heep could have designs on a lovely girl like Agnes. But he doesn't feel like he can actually warn Agnes of the danger because it's not his place, and he doesn't want to worry Agnes. After all, it's not like there's anything she can do directly to save her father from the grips of Uriah Heep. Uriah Heep's biggest miscalculation is to hire Mr. Micawber as a clerk. Because Uriah Heep is all about plotting, conniving, and calculation, he can't imagine that another person would genuinely act against his own self-interest. And it really seems as though Uriah Heep has Mr. Micawber over a barrel: Mr. Micawber is (as always) unemployed and knee-deep in debt when Uriah Heep swoops in and offers him a job with an advance on Mr. Micawber's salary. For the first time in the whole novel, Mr. Micawber is financially secure. So, Uriah Heep doesn't think for a moment that Mr. Micawber will rock the boat by working against Uriah Heep.

But Uriah Heep happens to be wrong. Mr. Micawber grows steadily more and more outraged at the way Uriah Heep is exploiting Mr. Wickfield and trying to force Agnes into marrying him. So, he writes to David and Traddles and asks them to be present when he confronts Uriah Heep with evidence of his wrongdoing. Mr. Micawber has receipts and notebooks (which Uriah Heep thought he had burned) proving that Uriah Heep has been forging Mr. Wickfield's signature and cooking the books. Uriah Heep has been making it look like Mr. Wickfield has lost his clients' money when he actually hasn't. So, Miss Betsey isn't a pauper after all! In order to protect Mr. Wickfield from further public humiliation, Traddles demands two things: Uriah Heep has to surrender his partnership in Mr. Wickfield's business, and he has to return all of the money he has stolen. Uriah Heep agrees to both of these terms (extremely reluctantly) and goes free. But that's not the last we hear of him: we see Uriah Heep in the prison Mr. Creakle is running.

He is Prisoner Number Twenty-Seven. Uriah Heep is still up to his old tricks, though, pretending to be so "umble" and repenting of all of his sins. But it's clear that he's as full of malice and hatred for the whole world – and especially for David – as ever. Foolish Mr. Creakle is absolutely taken in, though, and treats Uriah Heep as a model prisoner. But anyway, it has been confirmed that Uriah Heep hasn't learned a thing from his run-in with Mr. Micawber. Why Uriah Heep Is Awful What has set Uriah Heep on this road to crime is actually pretty interesting. He comes from a very poor background and was raised in a school run by a charity (39.125). Uriah has spent his entire life being told that he has to be grateful for everything that he receives (shades of Mrs. Gargery and Pip in Great Expectations – check out our Shmoop guide !). He has been told that he has to be humble, because he's lucky to get anything from all of these people who are better than him.

The humiliation and degradation of this kind of treatment has filled him with such rage against the whole world that he'll do whatever he can to ruin the lives of people in higher social classes. In the moral universe of this novel, we have seen plenty of signs that Dickens approves of men improving their lives through hard work at a profession – after all, like Uriah Heep, both David and Traddles become law clerks and achieve some social stability as a result. What differentiates Uriah Heep from these two is that he never connects his desire to improve his own life with a general, sympathetic interest in the lives of other people. He is entirely, totally selfish, which may be his greatest moral fault. But this selfishness is the result of a long history being ground down: the Heeps have been kept humble for generations. David is a gentleman, and even when he is poor, he is allowed to expect better of himself. After all, even in the factory, men like Mick Walker maintain respect for David. Perhaps one reason Uriah Heep is such a dangerous character in this novel is that he really challenges class boundaries, in a way that none of the characters who are content with David's superior birth and opportunities do.

Mister/Master Copperfield One last note on Uriah Heep: once Uriah meets up with David once more in London, when David is an apprentice proctor, you'll notice that he keeps confusing "Mister" and "Master" Copperfield. He claims that this confusion is accidental, because he has such affectionate memories of young Master Copperfield. Really, it's a power play: "Master" is a form of address for little boys, while Mister (obviously) is for grown men. Uriah Heep is trying to throw David off by reminding David how young he is, and that Uriah Heep has known him since he was a ragged little boy. Just another piece of psychological warfare from this master manipulator! Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters - Uriah Heep of "David Copperfield" - CSMonitor.com Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters Latest News By Marjorie Kehe, Monitor Books editor February 7, 2012 To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, here is a tribute to 10 of his most unforgettable characters. 2.

Uriah Heep of "David Copperfield" View Caption of How many characters from Victorian novels lived on to inspire late 20th-century heavy metal bands? Uriah Heep is unique in that respect (and many others) and in part it's simply because Dickens made this villain from " David Copperfield " so repulsive – bereft of eyelashes and brows, high-shouldered, bony, and writhing. (Some peers suggested Dickens may have modeled his appearance on that of fellow writer Hans Christian Andersen .) But it's Heep's sinister greed and patent insincerity, his grating claims to be nothing but an "umble servant" even as he attempts to rob his betters blind, that have kept him so alive in popular imagination. Who is Uriah Heep? Who is Uriah Heep? Save Uriah Heep is a fictional character in the novel David Copperfield written by Charles Dickens. The character is known for his sycophancy and sweet talk which smacks of insincerity. Uriah Heep is a clammy character whose physical mannerisms of writhing match with his cold and hideous nature. Uriah Heep is the main antagonist of the later half of the novel.

The description of the character of Uriah Heep stands testimony to Dicken’s triumph in character creation. Content What is Uriah Heep's Punishment? Uriah Heep is a fictional character in the novel David Copperfield written by Charles Dickens. The character is known for his sycophancy and sweet talk which smacks of insincerity. Uriah Heep is a clammy character whose physical mannerisms of writhing match with his cold and hideous nature. Uriah Heep is the main antagonist of the later half of the novel. The description of the character of Uriah Heep stands testimony to Dicken’s triumph in character creation. What are the Physical Characteristics of Uriah Heep? When Uriah Heep was ten years old he lost his father who made him realize the importance of being humble. Thereafter Uriah Heep lives with his mother .We come to know the physical characteristics of Uriah Heep through the description of David Copperfield. David first meets Huriah Heep as a fifteen year old youth having closely cropped red hair, though he looked much older for his age.

Uriah Heep had red –brown eyes which seemed unshaded and unsheltered having practically no eyelashes that made David wonder how he could sleep. He was bony and high-shouldered having long lanky hands. David felt Uriah Heep had an ugly manner of writhing when he was enthusiastic about something. What is the significance of the character of Uriah Heep? The character of Uriah Heep is known for his unduly overt humility who keeps referring to his “umbleness” through out the novel. In fact his name can be used synonymously to that of a yes man. He is tall and lanky and essentially referred to as ugly and repulsive. Uriah Heep is frequently given to writhing and jerking movements which have a negative impact on his character and seem to associate him with the crawly and creepy movements of a snake. Maybe Uriah is suffering from a muscular disorder and his pale skin and lashless red eyes seem to contribute to his ugliness. Uriah Heep was fifteen years old when he first meets David Copperfield. He addresses David patronizingly as Master Copperfield through out their association.

He persists in his insincencere attempts to win David Copperfield’s friendship but the latter takes an instant dislike for Uriah. What makes Uriah Heep the Villain of the Novel? Uriah Heep is the hypocritical clerk employed by Mr. Wickfield and has been working under him since four years, while studying law by the night. He continuously cites his humbleness while all the way he deviously plans to ruin Mr. Wickfield. Uriah Heep attributes his greedy nature and ambition to the way he was treated as a child by his parents and the hypocrisy of his schooling. While working for Wickfield he tries to blackmail him and take over his business. He succeeds in his plans when he eventually becomes a partner in Wickfield’s business. What is Uriah Heep's Punishment? Uriah Heep is the central villain of the novel who is spurred by greed to fulfill his ambition of marrying Wickfield’s daughter, Agnes with the aim of inheriting Wickfield’s fortune. But Huriah Heep’s devious plot is thwarted by Mr Micawber’s efforts supported by Tommy Traddles, David Copperfield and Agnes.

He doesn’t take it kindly and continues to harass David and Micawber. Ultimately he is imprisoned and returns to his “umble” ways by pretending to be a model prisoner. But Uriah Heep cannot escape his prison sentence where he is transported for life. External References Baddies in books: Uriah Heep, the smarmiest creep in Dickens | Books | The Guardian Baddies in books Baddies in books: Uriah Heep, the smarmiest creep in Dickens From his osequious greediness to his superiority complex, Charles Dickens’ dastardly antagonist in David Copperfield gives us chills because he embodies our worst traits Tuesday 17 February 2015 04.00 EST Last modified on Monday 23 February 2015 13.14 EST Share on Messenger Close I saw a cadaverous face appear at a small window on the ground floor … and quickly disappear. The low arched door then opened, and the face came out. It was quite as cadaverous as it had looked in the window, though in the grain of it there was that tinge of red which is sometimes to be observed in the skins of red-haired people.

It belonged to a red-haired person - a youth of 15, as I take it now, but looking much older – whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony; dressed in decent black, with a white wisp of a neckcloth; buttoned up to the throat; and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention … So, in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield, we get our first glimpse of one of the greatest villains ever to stalk the pages of a book. Immediately after this vivid description – and is if it wasn’t already obvious enough that this is a wrong ‘un – the great Betsy Trotwood sounds out his name: Uriah Heep. I’ll say it again: Uriah Heep. It’s satisfying even to type it. Uriah Heep. I don’t know what it is. An Old Testament prophet gone sour? A pile of wee? Either way, it fits.

It is the name of a man who will tell you he is the “umblest person going” while scheming to lord it over you. The name of a man you don’t want to touch. A man indeed, whose very touch will ruin your day – as David Copperfield learned to his expense: “As I came back, I saw Uriah Heep shutting up the office; and feeling friendly towards everybody, went in and spoke to him, and at parting, gave him my hand.” Bad move: “But oh, what a clammy hand his was! as ghostly to the touch as to the sight! I rubbed mine afterwards, to warm it, AND TO RUB HIS OFF.” Ugh. Heep’s infamy is undoubted. He says one thing and means another. He takes employment and shelter in the house of Mr Wickfield, a good man, and he does everything he can to destroy him, to take over his business and to force his daughter into his bed. He is cloying, jerking and writhing. He is dishonest, cruel and, above all, greedy. He is a “monster in the garb of man”.

He is morally repugnant even when he sleeps: There I saw him, lying on his back, with his legs extending to I don’t know where, gurglings taking place in his throat, stoppages in his nose, and his mouth open like a post office … Afterwards I was attracted to him in very repulsion, and could not help wandering in and out every half hour or so, and taking another look at him. I quote at such length, because it is so much fun. Dickens’s descriptions, his great floods of revulsion, are fantastic. The inimitable author is sometimes criticised for writing caricatures – but who cares when they are this good? Except, of course, the caricature works because it rings true. Who hasn’t met someone with a little bit of Heep in him; someone a little bit of obsequious and umble and doing his best to do you down? The other thing that makes Heep so fascinating is the complication behind the smarmy face. He isn’t as simple as he first appears. Dickens makes us loath him, but he also forces us to understand him.

Just as Satan gets the best lines in Paradise Lost, Heep get some of the best moments in David Copperfield (or, to give it its full, delightful, title: The Personal History, Adventures, Experience and Observation of David Copperfield the Younger of Blunderstone Rookery [Which He Never Meant to Publish on Any Account]). And like Satan, you can’t help feeling that Heep might have a point: When I was quite a young boy,” he tells David Copperfield, “I got to know what umbleness did, and I took to it. I ate umble pie with an appetite. I stopped at the umble point of my learning, and says I, ‘Hard hard!’ When you offered to teach me Latin, I knew better. ‘People like to be above you,’ says father, ‘keep yourself down.’ I am very umble to the present moment, Master Copperfield, but I’ve got a little power! Dickens invites the troubling possibility that Heep is only attacking in self-defence. That the good characters have unconsciously done bad things.

That the monster before them is partly of their own making, and partly formed by the systems they support: They used to teach at school (the same school where I picked up so much umbleness), from nine o’clock to eleven, that labour was a curse; and from eleven o’clock to one, that it was a blessing and a cheerfulness, and a dignity, and I don’t know what all, eh? Heep is an affront not just because he is evil, but because he’s society’s fault. Our fault. He is the part of us that enjoys flattery, that likes to hear the word “yes” loud and often, and doesn’t mind feeling superior to other people. He’s our guilty conscience as well as a criminal in his own right. Which is no doubt why we enjoy his eventual “pulverisation” so very much – and why he lingers so long in the mind. Why we never can quite rub off that clammy handshake … Uriah Heep | fictional character | Britannica.com Uriah Heep fictional character THIS ARTICLE IS A STUB. You can learn more about this topic in the related articles below.

Similar Topics Humpty Dumpty Uriah Heep, fictional character, the unctuous villain in Charles Dickens ’s novel David Copperfield (1849–50). The name Uriah Heep has become a byword for a falsely humble hypocrite. An illustration by Frederick Barnard from Charles Dickens’s novel David Copperfield (1849–50). The character Uriah Heep (left) is shown with David Copperfield. The Print Collector/Heritage-Images Charles Dickens February 7, 1812 Portsmouth, Hampshire, England June 9, 1870 Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great... Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind.

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Close Date Published: December 13, 2012 URL: Access Date: January 18, 2017 Share David Copperfield - Charles Dickens - Google Books David Copperfield 1 Review In a preface to this novel, Dickens described David Copperfield as his “favorite child,” and the story has remained among the favorites of Dickens’ readers, too, with the characters of Betsy Trotwood, Mr. Pegotty, Uriah Heep, and Wilkins Micawber as well as David himself becoming part of the fabric of Western culture. This facsimile reprint is of the Household Edition of the Works of Charles Dickens, published in the 1870s; the edition makes the work available again in a form in which tens of thousands of Victorians read it—in two-column format, interspersed with illustrations throughout. David Copperfield was originally published in nineteen monthly parts between May 1, 1849 and November 1, 1850.* Each part except the last was of roughly the same length; the final installment was approximately twice as long as the others (and sold for 2 shillings, twice the price of previous parts).

For the original serial publication, as well as early publication in book form, David Copperfield was illustrated by Hablot Browne (more commonly known as “Phiz”). Shortly after Dickens’ death in 1870 the British publisher Chapman & Hall began to issue the Household Edition of the Works of Charles Dickens (not to be confused with the American Household Edition of the Works, which appeared in the 1860s). The principal illustrator for the edition was Fred Barnard, and the Dalziel brothers (the leading wood-engravers of the time) created the engravings from Barnard’s illustrations; they described The Household Edition as “by far the most important commission ever placed in our hands by Messrs. Chapman & Hall.” Volumes in The Household Edition began to appear in 1871, and the series was completed in 1879. Dickens’ works appeared in a great many Victorian editions (including numerous pirated ones).

Scholars have understandably paid most attention to the earliest publication in serial form; The Household Edition may well have been the most popular form in which the novel appeared, however; the plates for The Household Edition were widely used for other editions as well, and it is certainly arguable that more Victorian readers would have read Dickens’ novels in this form than in any other. In 1911 the populist bibliophile J.A. Hammerton described The Household Edition as “the most important illustrated edition” of Dickens’ works. This is one of a series from Broadview Press of facsimile editions—editions that provide readers with a direct sense of these works as the Victorians themselves experienced them. The breaks were as follows: I – May 1849 (chs. 1–3); II – June 1849 (chs. 4–6); III – July 1849 (chs. 7–9); IV – August 1849 (chs. 10–12); V – September 1849 (chs. 13–15); VI – October 1849 (chs. 16–18); VII – November 1849 (chs.

19–21); VIII – December 1849 (chs. 22–24); IX – January 1850 (chs. 25–27); X – February 1850 (chs. 28–31); XI – March 1850 (chs. 32–34); XII – April 1850 (chs. 35–37); XIII – May 1850 (chs. 38–40); XIV – June 1850 (chs. 41–43); XV – July 1850 (chs. 44–46); XVI – August 1850 (chs. 47–50); XVII – September 1850 (chs. 51–53); XVIII – October 1850 (chs. 54–57); XIX-XX – November 1850 (chs. 58–64).

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: Text, Ebook Charles Dickens Of all his books, Dickens was fondest of David Copperfield and referred to it as his 'favourite child.' It is considered his most autobiographical story and many of the events in the novel parallel events that occurred in the author's life. The novel features richly drawn characters including David Copperfield, Agnes Wickfield, Uriah Heep and James Steerforth. The story follows David's development from his childhood to maturity. The characters seem to get what they deserve, with the kind-hearted and well-meaning coming out on top. David Copperfield Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb showtimes official sites miscellaneous photographs sound clips video clips Reviews & Ratings for David Copperfield More at IMDbPro »The Personal History, Adventures, Experience, & Observation of David Copperfield the Younger (original title) 51 out of 55 people found the following review useful: Mr. Dickens' Characters Come To Life from Forest Ranch, CA 16 February 2000 A young boy grows to manhood in Victorian England. He will learn to deal with the early deaths of his parents. He will be cruelly abused by his sadistic stepfather.

He will be betrayed by false friends. He will experience a brief, tragic marriage. He will also be showered with tenderness and affection from hearts good & true. He will grow to be a man made strong by adversity, but still wondering if he'll turn out to be the hero of his own life. He is DAVID COPPERFIELD. Charles Dickens' masterpiece comes to marvelous life in this triumphant translation from literary classic into film. Enormous care was taken by MGM to get the look & feel just right - to make the viewer believe they were seeing the novel spread out before them, without a false moment from start to finish. (The Studio even went so far as to use special on-location exterior filming at Canterbury Cathedral, a segment that only runs for a few seconds.) The all-star cast is remarkable: Freddie Bartholomew, newly brought from England by his aunt, is perfect in the role of Young David; his anguish at the death of his mother is almost palpable. Replacing a reluctant Charles Laughton, W. C. Fields proved a triumph in the comic role of the penniless Mr.

Micawber, always confident of something `turning up.' (You might think Fields' American accent & mannerisms would tend to be grating, but he turns in what is arguably his finest performance. Fields had loved Dickens' novels for years and always kept a few in his vaudeville trunk. He knew the role and how to play it. Here he takes the character of Micawber, tweaks it slightly, and delights us.) Lionel Barrymore, as the old fisherman Dan'l Peggoty, adding yet another exceptional portrait to his gallery of character parts. Edna May Oliver is unforgettable as the stern, yet loving, Aunt Betsey, forever chasing donkeys off her property - fiercely defensive of those she cares for. Basil Rathbone as Mr. Murdstone, dark & dangerous, full of passions & fury. Maureen O'Sullivan as darling Dora, sweet & doomed. Roland Young as an oily Uriah Heep, sniveling & devious. Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Allan, Una O'Connor, Lennox Pawle, Elsa Lanchester, Violet Kemble Cooper, Madge Evans, Frank Lawton - all perfectly cast. (Look for E. E.

Clive, Lionel Belmore & Arthur Treacher in tiny uncredited roles. Sir Hugh Walpole, the celebrated English novelist who adapted the novel for the screen, appears as the Vicar.) Savor this wonderful film again & again. Was the above review useful to you? 44 out of 47 people found the following review useful: Far Better Than "Okay" from Las Vegas, NV 16 April 2000 This film is not just "okay", its a masterful adaptation of one of the world's great novels. Whatever shortcomings it may have for modern audiences due to its age and the technical limitations of the time are more than compensated for by the immense care and effort lavished on the production and a cast that is impeccably "right". Truly, this is one of the finest jobs of casting you could imagine, as MGM was blessed at this time to have a slate of brilliant and irreplacable character actors. My favorites: W.C. Fields at his peak, born to play Micawber; the inimitable and wonderful Edna May Oliver, Betsy Trotwood to a T; and Lennox Pawle, unforgettable as Mr. Dick.

And if I wanted to be really tiresome, I could probably name 8 others. Dickens would have been pleased! Was the above review useful to you? 40 out of 44 people found the following review useful: The best cast, best rendition of a classic novel ever. from Los Angeles, California 20 August 2004 I've read "David Copperfield" at least a half dozen times. If it's not the greatest novel in the English language, then it's darned close to it. Like any Dickens work, there are plots within plots and scores of major and minor character. With the exception of excluding poor Traddles, this film catches the essence of the story better than any since--and I defy anyone to cite a better movie for casting the right actor with the right character. Of course, W.C. Fields' Mr. McCawber was superb and has been cited time and again as a great characterization, but it's also difficult to fault Basil Rathbone's Mr. Murdstone, Edna may Oliver's Aunt Betsy, Roland Young's Uriah Heep, Freddy Bartholomew's young David, Lionel Barrymore's Mr.

Peggoty or Maureen O'Sullivan's Dora Spenlow. As well, George Cukor's direction and period details are top-notch, as is the screen adoption of a very complicated novel. It's simply one of the greatest movies ever made. Was the above review useful to you? 33 out of 35 people found the following review useful: Enjoyable Version of the Story, With a Very Good Cast from Ohio 10 August 2004 With a very good cast and a well-conceived adaptation of the novel, this version of "David Copperfield" is enjoyable in its own right, and it does a good job of preserving the most important themes of the original. The quirks and characteristics of most of the characters are captured effectively by the cast. Freddie Bartholomew is engaging in the title role, and the cast members as a whole work together and complement each other well. It would be hard even to list all of the good performances. Edna May Oliver almost seems to have born to play Dickens's kind of strong-willed but caring female character. W.C.

Fields is perhaps somewhat different from the novel's conception of Micawber, but he is quite entertaining, and he gets plenty of good lines. Characters like Uriah Heep, Mr. Dick, the Murdstones, and several others could have come straight from the novel. As the adult Copperfield, Frank Lawton is sometimes rather bland, but he is likable and is at least believable as Bartholomew's grown-up counterpart. The story, of necessity, is episodic and moves quite quickly, usually including only the highlights of the narrative. But it does a very good job of this, making each sequence work well, and efficiently fitting each one into the story as a whole. George Cukor certainly deserves a good deal of credit for making it work and fit together so well. The settings, which are always important in a Dickens story, are also for the most part pretty good. The original novel "David Copperfield" is such a fine classic of literature that no two-hour movie could be on quite the same level, but this version is quite enjoyable, and it does a very good job of depicting the atmosphere and most of the important events of the story. Was the above review useful to you?

33 out of 38 people found the following review useful: Masterpiece of film-making brings Dickens' novel to life... from U.S.A. 28 May 2001 Of all of the films directed by George Cukor, I think this is his finest achievement, helped in no small measure by the perfect casting of all the Dickens characters. Freddie Bartholomew is flawless as the young David. Edna May Oliver as his stern but loving Aunt Betsy Trotwood gives her usual sharp characterization and nearly steals the first half of the movie. As for Mr. Murdstone, Basil Rathbone is the perfect embodiment of that brutally wicked man. Born to play Mr. Micawber is W. C. Fields, so uncannily right that it almost seems as if Dickens had him in mind when he wrote the character! Very atmospheric, so much so that it seems almost incredible that an American movie company could have crafted this gem. One would think the British would have beat us to it--but Dickens would have approved of this version, I'm sure.

The only drawback is the length and the scenes involving David's wife, Dora, as played by Maureen O'Sullivan with a saccharine sweetness that becomes cloying at times. (Thank God she didn't play Melanie in 'GWTW'). Some of the acting is a bit florid but to be expected when you consider this was made in 1935. Roland Young is well cast as Uriah Heep. Highly recommended. Anyone who cherishes the Dickens novel will not be disappointed. The only flaw is that the story has been compressed in order to limit the running time to two hours and ten minutes and it shows. All the essential characters remain but some of them have little dimension because of time constraints. Was the above review useful to you? 22 out of 27 people found the following review useful: A Good Version of a Classic from United States 15 May 2005 This version of David COPPERFIELD is quite a good one, in that it does trim the 800 plus page novel down to reasonable coherence. There are some characters that one misses, but they are understandably cut due to length considerations.

While Steerforth and his betrayal of the Peggoty Family is in the film (including the dual tragedy at it's conclusion), the sub-story of Little Em'ly's friend Martha and the business regarding Steerforth's mother, Rosa Dartle, and Mrs. Mowcher were dumped (Mrs. Mowcher would have been hard to cast). Pity, Mrs. Mowcher's famous speech to David about not confusing her physical attributes with her mental ones is missing. Also Steerforth's butler Littimer appears once, but the film does not get into the ironic coda of his imprisonment. While Uriah Heep's villainy against Mr. Wickfield and his clients is shown, his willingness to dig up dirt against other "enemies" is not shown. In particular his treatment of Dr. Strong (David's second schoolmaster), his young wife, and Jack Dalton is not developed (which is sad as it proves Mr. Dick is not simple minded). But those are minor points really.

The best jobs in the film are the work of the performers under George Cukor's direction: Edna Mae Oliver as the crusty, wise Aunt Betsy; Roland Young as the evil, greasy Uriah Heep (his best villain part); and W.C.Fields as Wilkins McCawber (Dicken's tribute to his lovable but improvident father) is superb - the one time his comic personae met the proper dramatic role; and Lionel Barrymore as Dan Pegotty determined to find his lost, ruined niece. Freddy Bartholemew's performance as young David is wonderful. But I must admit that Frank Lawson is a trifle colorless as the grown up David (although he has a funny moment at a dinner that Dora (Maureen O'Sullivan) tries to prepare). It is a weakness but a small weakness in a nearly perfect film. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 15 people found the following review useful: When MGM got it right,they got it right.

29 March 2006 *** This review may contain spoilers *** At one time,along with the Edmund Gwenn/Natalie Wood version of "Miracle on 34th St" and Robert Youngson's "Golden Age of Comedy",the wonderful MGM "David Copperfield" used to be a Christmas staple on British television. Now it's the loud and bloodthirsty "The Great Escape" where in the key scene dozens of British officers are shot in cold blood by our Common Market partners - well,there's no accounting for taste I suppose,but do the broadcasting companies ever consult their audience I wonder? There's not a better film to complement that satisfied after-dinner feeling than George Cukor's masterpiece.Whatever criticism you may level at MGM ,when they got things right,they got things right.A lot of love went into this film,a lot of care.With the choice of "All the Stars in Heaven" as they used to say,the Studio picked wisely.The incomparable Edna May Oliver stands head and shoulders above them all as David's Aunt Betsy.

Bill Fields is an amiable Micawber,Basil Rathbone a blood-chilling Murdstone.Roland Young perhaps surprisingly cast as Heep is really unpleasant.Frank Lawton and Fredddie Bartholomew between them flesh out the young man who never knew whether he was going to be the hero of his own life.Cukor caught the atmosphere of a very long and much-loved novel and turned it into an accessible film that appealled to an audience that might otherwise have never had the pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful characters in English Literature. Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 19 people found the following review useful: One of the best in Dickens films - a true classic. from Canada 16 October 2006 Although I've seen the movie on TV a few times over the decades, today I received the DVD digital version of "David Copperfield", wonderfully restored, and I must admit that the subtitles were a tremendous help in catching every bit of the story.

To me Freddie Bartholomew as young David is the most moving character because as a sensitive, loving child he must endure so much injustice and heartache, what with the loss of his mother, the brutal treatment from his stepfather, and then being sent away to a workhouse, only to flee to the safety of his aunt in Dover, walking all the way by foot, in hopes of a better life to grow up in. The stark realistic atmosphere that envelops many of the episodic scenes draws one into the tale with captivating ease. I consider it even more convincing than the scenes from "Great Expectations", the version with John Mills in it. W.C. Fields gives a remarkably sincere and fine portrayal of Mr. Macawber with all his many subtleties of speech. I couldn't picture it being performed as well by anyone else, and I think Ch. Laughton would not have been the right choice or as convincing. I put this early film at the top of my list of great ones! Was the above review useful to you? 15 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Some amazing character actors!

from San Francisco, CA 22 July 2001 This version of David Copperfield is a little disappointing in that the lead characters (David, Agnes, Steerforth, Little Em'ly) are somewhat bland and don't reveal their depth of feeling or passion. But the actors who play the supporting characters are so superb that this version is worth seeking out for those who love Dickens' work. Aunt Betsy, Uriah Heep, Mr. Dick, Mr. Micawber, Dan Peggotty and Ham are fleshed out by actors who have true spark and understand that their characters are supposed to be a little larger than life. W.C. Fields can act- he's not just playing himself here. Although Mr. Micawber is a somewhat Fields-ish fellow, Fields adds a touching sincerity to Micawber's belief that he will come out ahead someday to everyone's benefit. Micawber's denunciation of Uriah Heep is both fun and close to what one can picture from the novel.

A lot of plot is left out, since you can't really cram an epic like that into a 2 hour film- the BBC miniseries is better for depth of character and filling in plot holes- but this 1935 version can be considered a classic for those looking for a nice large-screen adaptation with some incredibly good character actors. Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Oliver tops even Fields from Oklahoma 11 January 2010 Having always heard of David Copperfield, but never having read the novel nor seen the movie, I finally decided to check out the DVD. I found it quite enjoyable with an all-star cast and good Dickensian backdrops. I have always loved W.C. Fields, but have to disagree with those who say he steals the show. Although he is perfect as Mcawber, to me it is Edna May Oliver who steals the picture. She is delightful as the dotty aunt  especially standing up to Mr. and Miss Murdstone with the loony backing of Mr. Dick (a charming Lennox Pawle).

Of course Lionel Barrymore always makes the most of a part and does so as the gruff fisherman Dan Peggotty. Freddie Bartholomew is excellent as the young David. Elizabeth Allen is gorgeous and delightful as David's mother, while Basil Rathbone and Violet Kemble Cooper are cold and devious as the step-father and his housekeeper sister. The entire cast is excellent, including Jessie Ralph as Peggotty and Herbert Mundin as the 'willing' Barkis. My only complaint  and this is from one who hasn't read the book  is that the miscellaneous characters get a bit confusing. A guy who apparently had been nice to David in school runs off with and abandons the adopted daughter of Peggotty's brother. Then two men fight during a shipwreck and David sees his school friend dead. Perhaps things were better spelled out in the book. In any event, it is a quite charming film. Oliver and Field are delightful, along with the rest of the talented cast. I doubt that as better adaptation could be done today. Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 5: Review : David Copperfield Review : David Copperfield by Anurag Pati on December 7, 2012 Author: Charles Dickens Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Year: 2008 Read book reviews from other readers Davy for the Peggotty Family, Trot for Aunt Betsey, Doady for Dora, Daisy for Steerforth , Copperfield for the Micawber Family and Trotwood Copperfield for some – David Copperfield , the blunderstone born optimistic , diligent and perserving character happens to be the main protagonist of this first person narrated eighth novel from the works of the great author Charles Dickens . The story revolves around David, elucidating us about the ups and downs endured by him. The story spotlights the various facets of the life of David Copperfield, starting from his childhood to his maturity. This naïve boy from Blunderstone near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England had to face many atrocities throughout his entire life. It all started with his dear mother remarrying Edward Murdstone. David had every reason to loathe both his step-father and his step-sister Jane Murdstone.

The main antagonist of the novel Edward Murdstone was atrocious enough to forsake little David of his dainty childhood, rather changed it into a dreary, rather morose one, making life hell for him. Mr.Murdstone was also quite nonchalant to send David to Salem House, run by the dictatorial headmaster – Mr. Creakle .All this augmented to the perpetual torments faced by David. But, sadly this was not the end of his sufferings. Several other vile characters such as Jane Murdstone and Uriah Heep also supplemented to the same. Jane, the cruel spinster sister of David was astute enough to become the “Confidential Friend “of David’s first wife Dora Spenlow, encouraging the problems arising between David and Dora’s father. We also have another contemptible man – Uriah Heep, the main antagonist of the second half of the book, who was very guile to hide his wicked and twisted character underneath the mask of humbleness. This vile personality was brought to limelight by Mr. Wilkins Micawber, who caught Heep of stealing Mrs. Betsey Trotwood’s money to gain power over Mr. Wickfield and many others.

David’s life also had its pleasantries, besides its miseries. He had his dear mother, the pegotty family , the micawber family , his love and first wife Dora , his childhood friend and mentor Agnes , his buddies at the Salem House – Steerforth and Traddles , Aunt Betsey Trotwood and many more to add up to the exquisiteness of his life , curtailing the various intricacies and adversities faced by him. So, this classic by Charles Dickens definitely has the competency to make us travel along with the life of David Copperfield, exhilarating his happiness as well as lamenting his losses. This novel portraying the early childhood of the author is truly a charm – a delightful read.

Question: Which Dickens novel features the character 'Uriah Heep'?
Answer: David Copperfield